£1m plan to improve cycling and walking routes in Wolverhampton
Major improvements to cycling and walking routes across Wolverhampton are due next year as part of a £1.1 million Black Country-wide plan to improve the region’s active travel infrastructure.
Council cabinet bosses are set to procure a nine-month contract valued at £287,499 to undertake works to develop a cycling and walking pathway from Wednesfield to Darlaston, and a new active travel link for the East Park area.
The contract is one of four that make up the Black Country Transport Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP) early development works, which also includes improvements and developments to routes in Dudley (£237,501), Sandwell (£337,499) and Walsall (£237,501).
These will be approved once the evaluation of potential suppliers is complete.
Councillor Craig Collingswood, cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “Wolverhampton Council, in collaboration with the other Black Country local authorities, is dedicated to delivering a high-quality active travel network across the region over the next ten years.
"A third of the people in the Black Country do not have access to a car or private vehicle; one of our main aims is to allow people to visit places they would not otherwise have been able to without a car.
“The Black Country Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Plan prioritises walking, wheeling and cycling to enhance connectivity for residents across the region, improve public health by enabling residents to walk, wheel and cycle safely and conveniently as well as reduce carbon emissions.”
In a report to the cabinet, head of procurement John Thompson said: “This strategy is designed to increase the number of journeys taken by active travel modes.
"It will identify improvements that can be made to infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, creating a walking, wheeling and cycling network with a long-term approach to active travel in the region.
“It is not viable for this work to be completed in-house by Black Country Transport (BCT) or the local authorities as we do not have the resource to complete all the required work.
"The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has allocated £1.3 million Capability and Ambition Funding to Wolverhampton Council to develop transport infrastructure improvement works.
“We have a commitment to spending our allocation of this funding, as well as further developing other routes within the LCWIP in line with various policies set out by the four Black Country local authorities.
"This plan will also play a crucial role in the West Midlands commitment to a net zero transport system by 2041, as well as combatting physical inactivity in the region."
Cabinet resources will discuss the plans next Wednesday, February 21.
